Brian Russell, Ph.D. Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Development | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
Brian Russell, Ph.D. Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Development | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
Six players from the University of Illinois baseball team have been recognized with All-Big Ten honors, and Dan Hartleb has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The announcement was made by the conference on Tuesday.
Camden Janik and Jacob Schroeder received First Team selections, while Brody Harding and Ryan Moerman were placed on the Second Team. Drake Westcott and Cameron Chee-Aloy earned spots on the Third Team, with Chee-Aloy also making it to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Connor Milton was honored with Illinois' Sportsmanship Award.
This marks the highest number of Illini selections since 2015 when ten players were chosen. Janik and Schroeder are the first Illini since 2021 to be named to the First Team, while Chee-Aloy is the first to make the All-Freshman Team since 2021.
Dan Hartleb's recognition as Coach of the Year is his second such award, matching his mentor Itch Jones for most in program history. "Leading Illinois to an outright Big Ten championship for the first time since 2015," Hartleb guided his team through a successful season that ended with a record of 33-17.
Janik led Illinois in several statistical categories this season, including batting average and hits. He was pivotal in securing Illinois' first conference title since 2015 with a grand slam against Purdue.
Schroeder achieved notable rankings within the conference in slugging percentage and home runs. He was twice named Big Ten Player of the Week during this season.
Harding set personal bests across multiple metrics during his career-best season, contributing significantly in games against Penn State and Ohio State.
Moerman led Illinois in home runs and RBIs this season, becoming one of only seven players in program history to hit at least 18 home runs in a single season.
Chee-Aloy started strong with an eight-game hitting streak early in his college career and maintained consistent performance throughout the season.
Westcott also had an impressive year, leading Illinois in walks while ranking highly among Big Ten batters for home runs.
The awards highlight individual accomplishments as well as collective success for Illinois baseball under Hartleb's leadership. The team's achievements reflect both talent development within its ranks and effective coaching strategies implemented throughout their campaign.
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